Newb looking at a 77 catalina 22

zactus

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Aug 7, 2019
1
Catalina 22 Holyrood
Hey Folks!

I'm new to sail boats and could use some advice. My wife and I live beside a small marina in our home town and I've been watching the classifieds for a while in hope of finding a good learner boat. I found one close by and took a look at the exterior over the weekend, but quickly realized I don't really know what potential problems I should be looking for.

I've attached some pictures i took when I passed by the yard ( https://imgur.com/a/UIpDsOE ). My biggest concern is the damage to the bow. If it's just a sand down and seal job I can handle that, but if it's a big job I'd like to avoid it. I'd also need to replace the U bolt on the bow.

The Boat comes with a 5hp merc, main sail, 3 genoa, 2 anchors, new cushions. Seller bought a bigger boat and is asking $2700.

It looks manageable to me but any advice would be appreciated. Should I move forward or run?
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Welcome aboard both of you!
You're sure to hear from the C22 owners soon. How is the deck? Any soft spots? The C22 is a very popular boat and a good choice to learn on. Some pics would help, but before I'd pay $2700 for a '77 it would have to be in really good shape - not need patching.
 
Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
I don't know - I might keep looking. There are generally more C22's to pick from, and that one is a 42 year old boat, that looks like it's been out in the weather a lot, with little or no ongoing maintenance. I'd be concerned with water having gotten into the deck & transom through unsealed bolt holes, and deck core rot having started already. That boat can be fixed up, but I think you are looking at a lot of known work needed, and probably 4-5 bad surprises yet to come. The bow eye alone is a big problem to consider, give the age of the boat, and other likely unknown problems. Other people might disagree, but that boat looks like a lot of work and unpleasant surprises to me - I'm no expert. I think that price is very high - for that boat - as well. Good luck however you go-
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Welcome aboard both of you!
You're sure to hear from the C22 owners soon. How is the deck? Any soft spots? The C22 is a very popular boat and a good choice to learn on. Some pics would help, but before I'd pay $2700 for a '77 it would have to be in really good shape - not need patching.
"Some pics would help". My firewall at work is blocking that site :(
 
Oct 10, 2013
127
Catalina 22 Minneapolis
I bought a boat of similar age with similar equipment and in similar condition for a similar price.

And while I absolutely love my boat, if I had it to do over again I would spend more to get a newer and better condition boat.

Does it have a trailer? On boats of this age the trailer alone can be half the value. It'll be a lot harder to re-sell if it doesn't have one.


If it has a trailer offer $2,000 and see what happens!
 
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May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Can't view, but based upon your description, and the age, pass. Plenty more out there without that kinda damage to deal with, let alone what you can't see!
 
Sep 25, 2008
464
Catalina 30 MKIII Varuna Boat Club
Hi,
Not to come out of left field, but about 25 years ago I was in the same "boat" as you. Not a sailor and not sure of what to buy to learn. I was extremely lucky to find a salesman that understood my dilemma and suggest that I look at a Chrysler 22. He found one for me at another dealer and had it shipped to me at no additional charge. They were manufactured from about 1974 through 1979 with virtually no change. They weigh in at about 3600 lbs. with a swing keel of 800 lbs. They are virtually indestructible and VERY forgiving to a new sailor. They are upgradeable and I did mine by changing out the 130 jib to a 150. If you can find one, (that has had upgrading to the keel pin), I could not recommend a better, safer more fun boat for any beginner. These boats feel and sail like the big boys. I I enjoyed my 1977 for 10 years. Best of Luck and Happy Sailing.
 
Feb 11, 2015
212
Catalina 22 Lake Jacomo
Not only is the C22 a great starter boat, it's a great forever boat as well. It's hard to tell much from those photos, but I can see enough to say that for $2700 it's a hard pass...even if it had a trailer. I see a poor paint job applied over a completely unprepared surface, over untouched crazing and poorly patched holes. I see noticeable filling where lifeline stanchions used to be. I see a bow pulpit that is not from a C22 attached to the stem fitting???!! I see missing trim rings in the cockpit. I see a laminated tiller that is beginning to de-laminate, there's 200 bucks for a new one. I see a corroded and falling apart motor mount that's full of ferrous fasteners, there's another couple hundred. If I can see this from a couple of pics, imagine what you can't see and what else that paint job is covering up. I believe you are looking at someone else's "free" project boat. IMO this is a boat you pick up for $500, put only enough in to make it functional and then sail for a summer while you search for a better boat. There are always plenty of C22's on the market and you should be able to find a decent one for $1500 - $3000 ready to sail.
 
Jul 21, 2019
6
Catalina 22 Germantown, TN
I am a brand new owner myself and a complete Newb..... but what I was looking at is - what can I reasonably fix myself since I am handy? My boat I just purchased has great bones, but needs bottom and top paint along with some good cleaning. I looked at the big ticket items such as cushions, motor, mast, keel, sails, trailer, etc that would cost almost as much to replace as I spent on the boat. Where I am located, we dont have a ton to choose from so I get where you are coming from. If any of those big ticket items are in bad shape, or you are not comfortable with repairs then I would walk away. Did they remove the lifelines or where they not included? I can't tell, but do you have a ladder? How about the interior? I'm not expert, but I dont like the looks of the motor mount.

Finally I would say - what can you afford? If this is all you can afford and you are comfortable with repairs - then go for it. If you can afford to put another $1,000 or more into it - I think you would be much happier. Again - I am a complete newb....but that is how I went about my decision making process.
 
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Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Welcome,@zactus! You will love a Catalina 22. Everyone who ever owned one does! :thumbup:

Sadly, I agree with most of what's been said. You can definitely do better.

Based on my own mistakes, in general I would say bust your wallet open wide for the best boat you can possibly afford. It's almost always cheaper in the long run. You can generally get your original purchase money back if/when you sell the boat, but the money and sweat you put into improvements is often lost.
 

FDL S2

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Jun 29, 2014
469
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
Welcome,@zactus! You will love a Catalina 22. Everyone who ever owned one does! :thumbup:

Sadly, I agree with most of what's been said. You can definitely do better.

Based on my own mistakes, in general I would say bust your wallet open wide for the best boat you can possibly afford. It's almost always cheaper in the long run. You can generally get your original purchase money back if/when you sell the boat, but the money and sweat you put into improvements is often lost.
:plus: I started with a fixer upper boat that I paid $1500 for, a ton of work and plenty of money went into it to get it in the water, I sold it for $200 more than I paid. Looking back I would have paid double to get a boat in much better shape that required minimal work to get on the water sooner.
 
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FDL S2

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Jun 29, 2014
469
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
Not only is the C22 a great starter boat, it's a great forever boat as well. It's hard to tell much from those photos, but I can see enough to say that for $2700 it's a hard pass...even if it had a trailer. I see a poor paint job applied over a completely unprepared surface, over untouched crazing and poorly patched holes. I see noticeable filling where lifeline stanchions used to be. I see a bow pulpit that is not from a C22 attached to the stem fitting???!! I see missing trim rings in the cockpit. I see a laminated tiller that is beginning to de-laminate, there's 200 bucks for a new one. I see a corroded and falling apart motor mount that's full of ferrous fasteners, there's another couple hundred. If I can see this from a couple of pics, imagine what you can't see and what else that paint job is covering up. I believe you are looking at someone else's "free" project boat. IMO this is a boat you pick up for $500, put only enough in to make it functional and then sail for a summer while you search for a better boat. There are always plenty of C22's on the market and you should be able to find a decent one for $1500 - $3000 ready to sail.
There a C22 for sail in my town that's in ready to sail condition on a good trailer for $3500.
 
Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
To put it another way - even if you were given that particular boat for free, you are probably looking at at least 3k in repairs and replacement needed, and likely a whole summer fixing it up (to get it to mediocre condition) - on top of whatever else you have going on in life. You could take that 3k, and buy a different C22, and be way ahead of the game. When boat shopping, it's easy to get excited, and gloss over any work needed, but trust me - when you have 3-4 major repairs needed, each taking 3 or 4 times what you expect they will take to complete - you'll better appreciate the theory of buying the best used boat you can afford. I'd bet anyone here on this forum would attest to the run-a-away time commitments most of these repairs take. This is not to discourage you - as just about everyone here would say buying a C22 is one of the best moves they've made, (and they'd do it again) but the condition of any used boat matters a lot more than you realize during the excitement of shopping for them. Doing all the work I've done on my boat has been a great experience - and even fun in its own way - and I now know the boat inside and out - but it's best not to go looking for trouble... that thing honestly looks like a claymore mine ready to explode.
 
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Grotto

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Feb 18, 2018
273
Catalina 22 Wilmington
I bought a 2k project boat "ready to sail" We are rounding up year 2 of the refit. We went into it eyes open(ish) it is always way more work and time than estimated. I half joke add 5k to the price of an old Bargain boat. Then shop THOSE. You will likely spend another 5k just to get her into true fit to sail condition. Whether it has 2, or 5 sails in inventory if they are blown out mouse chewed etc you have 0 sails. The Catalina 22 is a great project boat tons of replacement parts available etc. This one would be a hard pass in my opinion
 
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FDL S2

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Jun 29, 2014
469
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
I digress but I always found the wording on claymores interesting. But I've never sen one pointed in the wrong direction! Semper Fi !
The wording on the front is the reason for my comment. I'm not prior military, but I have read some accounts from Vietnam where they were pointed in the wrong direction accidentally or by the enemy sneaking up and turning them around.
 
Oct 3, 2011
825
Anam Cara Catalina 310 Hull #155 155 Lake Erie/Catawba Island
We had hull #10380 for 10 years and it was a great boat! It is easy to spend good money for a bad boat that you work on ALL the time and NOT sail, There are better, less expensive boats out there. We spent 1 1/2 years looking for our Catalina 25 and also the same amount of time looking for our Catalina 310. We sailed our 22 and 25 for 10 years each and am now in year 6 for our 310. Point is do not be in a hurry, be an educated consumer! They are Great boats, be choosy! and enjoy sailing her!
 
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